With a waiting list of over 150 prospective residents, Riverview Retirement Community is aiming to meet demand for senior housing by increasing its expansion project to include a 31-unit luxury condominium complex dubbed The Crest, CEO Danie Monaghan says.

As previously reported by the Journal in May, Riverview Retirement Community, located on a 35-acre campus at 1801 E. Upriver Drive, introduced preliminary plans to build The Heights, a four-story, 82-unit multifamily building for independent-living seniors. 

After laying out these initial plans, Monaghan says she considered the region's need for more housing and the possible reconfigurations to the campus that could make space to meet that demand.

"In the process of talking about the Heights and financing, we asked, do we want this land to sit vacant for another decade?" Monaghan says.  

The updated planned development, set to begin construction in April, is valued at $99 million and will create two independent living buildings comprised of 113 total apartments and condominiums. As a nonprofit organization, the project is backed by a bond from the Washington State Housing Finance Commission and is further buoyed by the city of Spokane’s eight-year property tax abatement for multifamily housing, Monaghan says.

“The demand for senior living is tremendous,” Monaghan says. “And we’re seeing more and more demand as the new generation starts to age into place.”

About 31% of Spokane County's population is age 55 or older, according to the latest population estimates by the Washington state Office of Financial Management reported in the Journal's 2025 Market Factbook.

The Crest will be constructed at the southwest corner of the Riverview Retirement Community campus, at 1777 E. Upriver Drive. The 31-unit building will feature five floor plans ranging from about 1,500 to 1,700 square feet, overlooking the Spokane River. The condominium units will feature quartz countertops, plank flooring, expansive windows, and private balconies, Monaghan says.

Yost Gallagher Construction LLC, of Spokane, is the contractor for The Crest, Monaghan says.

Other amenities at The Crest will include an e-bike charging station and e-bike maintenance room, daily concierge service, as well as a rooftop lounge with an outdoor fireplace.

“The Crest is definitely designed for more active adults,” Monaghan says. “We’re focused on understanding that people who might move into The Crest may very well be employed in full-time jobs or transitioning.”

As planned, The Heights is significantly larger than The Crest. Plans for The Heights call for a four-story, 82-unit building, to be constructed near the center of the community, flanked by an aquatics and fitness center to the east and the Terrace residences to the west, at 1841 E. Upriver Drive.

Spokane-based Bouten Construction Co. is the contractor for The Heights. Bellevue, Washington-based Wattenbarger Architecture Inc. PS designed both The Heights and The Crest developments. 

Units at The Heights will feature 13 distinct floor plans ranging from 900 to 1,600 square feet. 

Riverview Retirement Community will offer flexible buying and leasing options for residents, Monaghan adds.

Amenities planned at The Heights include a 197-seat auditorium for performances and events, a restaurant with outdoor balcony seating and full view of the Spokane River, a bar, RiverBrew Coffee Shop, and an outdoor area with fire pits and a dog park. 

Monaghan says the auditorium was designed with accessible seating dispersed throughout the venue and will host educational events, staff gatherings, and house the community’s entertainment program, Riverview Presents.  Currently, Riverview Presents is hosted in the community’s chapel and overflows into the dining room.

“It will give us a platform for those people to come in and actually present to us in an appropriate place that is well thought out for acoustics,” Monaghan says of the new auditorium space. 

On-site classrooms are also planned at The Heights, which will accommodate learning spaces for residents as well as workforce training. 

In 2025, Riverview Retirement Community was approved to train and certify home care aides through the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Monaghan notes. The on-site training program will help address workforce shortages and help Spokane-area residents gain access to entry-level jobs within the health care industry, she adds.

“We’re really trying to work with the local high schools for people who may not be on the college track and want to get into the workforce and want to be in health care,” Monaghan says.

The development will also add 90 parking spots to the property, Monaghan says. 

A skilled nursing building is planned for demolition in April to make space for The Heights and create surface space for a parking lot. Underground parking is also planned at The Heights, she says. 

Additionally, a community garden will be relocated and expanded at another area of the campus, leaving space for covered parking and electric vehicle charging stations near The Crest development. While the community will accommodate plenty of parking spaces, Monaghan notes that many residents would like and benefit from a bus stop in the neighborhood.

“I would love the (Spokane Transit Authority) to build a bus stop on Upriver Drive,” Monaghan says. “I’m super happy to build a bus stop if they want to put us on a route.”

As retirement communities move away from an institutional care setting, the industry nationwide is dissolving its skilled nursing wings and centers, Monaghan says. Riverview Retirement Community closed its skilled nursing center a few years ago and is offering those same services through its RiverCare programs.

Instead of residents being moved into a skilled nursing or hospice facility, the RiverCare programs offer those same services in people’s homes, she says. 

RiverCare isn't just for Riverview Retirement Community residents but is open to all residents in Spokane County, Monaghan says. The demand from the community is strong and will likely require more staff in the near future, she notes.

Established in 1959 by the Spokane Lutheran community, Riverview Retirement Community is home to about 365 residents and employs 188 full-time employees, Monaghan says.